CHICAGO – Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich was arrested on Tuesday on charges that he brazenly conspired to sell or trade the U.S. Senate seat left vacant by President-elect Barack Obama to the highest bidder.

Quote:

A 76-page FBI affidavit said the 51-year-old Democratic governor was intercepted on court-authorized wiretaps over the last month conspiring to sell or trade the vacant Senate seat for personal benefits for himself and his wife, Patti.

Otherwise, Blagojevich considered appointing himself. The affidavit said that as late as Nov. 3, he told his deputy governor that if "they're not going to offer me anything of value I might as well take it."

"I'm going to keep this Senate option for me a real possibility, you know, and therefore I can drive a hard bargain," Blagojevich allegedly said later that day, according to the affidavit, which also quoted him as saying in a remark punctuated by profanity that the seat was "a valuable thing — you just don't give it away for nothing."

It's no secret that this guy was a scumbag, but this is a little beyond the pale.

DECEMBER 9--The criminal complaint filed today against Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich contains a remarkable section detailing the Democratic politician's alleged attempt to cash in on his ability to fill the U.S. Senate seat vacated by President-elect Barack Obama. Attached to the U.S. District Court complaint is an FBI affidavit, excerpted below, alleging that Blagojevich was caught on wiretaps noting that the Senate seat "is a fucking valuable thing, you just don't give it away for nothing." He was also recorded saying that unless "I get something real good," he would appoint himself to the vacancy. "I'm going to keep this Senate option for me a real possibility, you know, and therefore I can drive a hard bargain. You hear what I'm saying. And if I don't get what I want and I'm not satisfied with it, then I'll just take the Senate seat myself." According to the surreptitiously recorded conversations, Blagojevich spoke with associates about the possibility of trading the Senate post for either an ambassadorship or a Cabinet post.

The great thing about this is that his predecessor George Ryan is in jail already. Soon the state of Illinois will have bipartisan representation in Federal Prison (Ryan was a Republican, Blagojevich is a Dem).

__________________On two occasions I have been asked,—"Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out?" ... I am not able rightly to apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question.
—Charles Babbage

Sure, the max-security penitentiaries did, but there's a world between those and the ones they send politicians and businessmen to for being naughty. There are holiday camps worse than where this guy's heading, I'd bet.

<Sir_Xiph0> I was changing the name of your thread
<Big_D> Which one?
<Sir_Xiph0> I just used the other thread's title that got merged
<Sir_Xiph0> Illinois governor
<Sir_Xiph0> not really related to Obama so much as it is his former seat
<Big_D> My title was more titillating.
<Sir_Xiph0> now if the governor was blowing him..
<Big_D> Tit-ill-ation.
<Sir_Xiph0> and there was a dress with a stain somewhere
<Big_D> It's what the news is all about.
<Big_D> It's gonna splatter on Obama just like Bill splattered that dress.
<Sir_Xiph0> Lol

Told by two other advisers he has to "suck it up" for two years, the FBI says it heard Blagojevich complain he has to give this "motherf***er [the president-elect] his senator. F*** him. For nothing? F*** him."

I stand by the fact that Obama will lol and condemn this and the masses will go back to fawning over his taint.

Ideological purity, compromise as weakness, a fundamentalist belief in scriptural literalism, denying science, unmoved by facts, undeterred by new information, a hostile fear of progress, a demonization of education, a need to control women's bodies, severe xenophobia, tribal mentality, intolerance of dissent, pathological hatred of US government.

They can call themselves the Tea Party. They can call themselves conservatives. They can even call themselves Republicans, though Republicans certainly shouldn't. But we should call them what they are: The American Taliban.

The funny part is this guy will be joining the previous Republican Governor who was found guilty of corruption in 2006 after his ass was thrown out of office - same Federal Prosecutor too.

I don't really think this one will spread to Obama, but it will be another guilt by association attack on him. Of course Obama, his chief of staff, and Axelrod will need to do a little tap dancing to distance themselves, but the campaign gave them a lot of practice doing that.

__________________
Rule #1 - Do not talk about Alpha Fight Club
Rule #2 - Don't start an E-Penis war that you don't have a plan for winning.

Ehh . . . Blago and Obama never really liked each other much in the first place, and rumor has it that it was Rahm's visit to Fitzgerald that got the indictment moved up. Apparently team Obama was pissed off that Blago told them to bribe him so that he'd appoint Jarrett to the Senate seat (notice how she just dropped off the radar a couple weeks ago?). Then, Blago's on tape basically saying that Obama won't play ball so "fuck him".

I'd say that Obama won't have to make much of an effort to distance himself.

__________________

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jawaharlal Nehru

The common people, of course, knew nothing about these reasons. No one told them. Politicians usually hide their real reasons and talk pompously of religion and justice and truth and the like.

This does not surprise me at all. Blagoboyo has been a twat since day one. All the bullshit he's been pulling since he's been in office... I do seriously hope they make a "mistake" and toss him in with Bubba. >_>